This Vintage-Inspired Pilot’s Watch Just Got a Welcome Upgrade

Longines’s quirky Pilot Majetek is now a lot more practical.

Published June 27, 2024

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Updated June 27, 2024

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If you’ve been paying attention to the watch industry over the past couple of years, one of the standout stories has been the rise of Longines.

The brand, one of the oldest in existence, was never exactly in the doldrums. But recently, and especially last year, Longines has been on one hell of a heater.

In 2023 alone, we saw the launch of a new Conquest line, the Conquest Chronograph, the Hydroconquest GMT, the Spirit Flyback, the Spirit Zulu Time 39 and the Legend Diver 39, all of which received near-unanimous acclaim from the enthusiast community.

One of the brand’s first releases of last year that was perhaps a bit less universally loved was the Pilot Majetek. The quirky 1930s-inspired pilot’s watch was notable for its functioning knurled timing bezel and oversized cushion case. And while just about everyone appreciated the uniqueness of its design, some found the 43mm hunk of stainless steel too unwieldy on the wrist.

Well, if you’ve been holding out on picking up a Majetek because you think it would overwhelm your wrist, then I have some good news for you. Longines has launched a Pioneer Edition of the Majetek, and it’s crafted from lightweight Grade 5 titanium.

Longines Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition

$5,000 at Longines

Lighter, Stronger … Grayer?

The Longines Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition is nearly identical to the stainless steel version released last year.

The watch maintains its 43mm cushion case, its bidirectional fluted bezel with internal lumed starting time indicator and its 100m water resistance.

The new Majetek is still powered by the previous version’s Longines-exclusive Cal. L893.6 automatic movement, which boasts a 72-hour power reserve, an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring and COSC chronometer certification.

The biggest difference, of course, is the change in case material. By switching from stainless steel to Grade 5 titanium, Longines has reduced the weight of the Majetek by nearly half, going from 128.8g on the steel version to just 78.7g in titanium.

longines watch glowing in the dark over black sand — The unique gray lume of the Pioneer Edition glows blue.

To go along with the dark gray color of the titanium case, the Pioneer Edition Majetek also gets a new color scheme for its dial. Gone is the yellow, fauxtina lume of the steel version, and in its place we find an interesting gray lume on the hands and indices, giving the watch a cool monochrome look against the grained black dial.

Finally, the Pioneer Edition receives an exclusive strap in the form of a black technical fabric strap (it looks like Cordura, but Longines isn’t calling it that) with a titanium tang buckle.

While the new Majetek is sure to be more comfortable than last year’s reissue of the 1935 original and is arguably better looking too, those upgrades come at a steep price. Limited to 1,935 examples, the Longines Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition is priced at $5,000, an increase of $1,250 over the non-limited steel version.